


The Garden of Hades

by secretkeeper18



Series: Reverse Hades/Persephone AU [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion & Lore Fusion, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Flirting, Fluff, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), M/M, Magic, Role Reversal, Viktor is Persephone, Yuuri is Hades
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24618493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretkeeper18/pseuds/secretkeeper18
Summary: “Do you like it?” Yuuri asked, nervously. He was wringing his hands and avoiding Viktor’s eyes, choosing instead to look out at their work. “I know it’s not quite the same as your gardens, it couldn’t compare, but I thought a little color might- mmph!”Yuuri’s words were cut off by Viktor pulling him into a kiss.“I love it,” Viktor declared, beaming. “You’re amazing, Yuuri.”Yuuri looked flustered, which was always a delightful sight. “I’m glad we did this together,” he said.In which Viktor adjusts to his new life in the Underworld, by Yuuri's side.***One-shot in the same universe as "One Hundred and Eight Roses"
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: Reverse Hades/Persephone AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779895
Comments: 9
Kudos: 183





	The Garden of Hades

**Author's Note:**

> Set after the first chapter of the main story, but before the epilogue.

Viktor is, of course, at first apprehensive of the Underworld. Who wouldn’t be? It was the realm of the dead, and even the immortal gods hated to traverse in Hades’s Kingdom. Viktor had grown up with stories full of warnings to avoid the Underworld and any god associated with it. 

Then, Yuuri happened. 

Though, even Yuuri had not wanted Viktor to accompany him back to his own kingdom. Viktor completely disregarded that, and made his way into the Underworld himself. No place could be that bad if it produced someone as lovely as Yuuri, Viktor had decided. Nothing could stop Viktor from getting to Yuuri, not even Yuuri himself, so long as the other god still wanted him. 

Yuuri, sweet, kind Yuuri, had been more worried about Viktor than Viktor had been about himself.

“I will be fine,” Viktor had promised. “It’s only six months. You’ve done it for an eternity, and I have you to help me.”

Yuuri had melted at that, looking flustered and unable to come up with a good response. So, Viktor’s stay in the Underworld for the next six months was solidified. 

As Viktor adjusted to Yuuri’s duties and slotted himself into his schedule, he quickly realized that his initial fears were apparently completely unfounded. The souls weren’t scary like he had been led to believe; they were lost, sad, and afraid. When Yuuri was busy in meetings that Viktor could not attend, or was lost in piles of paperwork, Viktor found himself on Charon’s ferry. Nishigori was an old friend of Yuuri’s, always friendly and welcoming, and would let Viktor ride back and forth across the River Styx whenever he pleased. Viktor would comfort the souls that crossed, telling them, _no more tears now, there we go, no need to worry! I have an in with the application committee, I’ll certainly put in a good word for you._

Viktor consistently failed to mention that his “in” happened to be his fiancé, the literal king of the realm. 

Other days, Viktor would sit on either side of the Entrance to the Underworld, chatting idly with whomever was on shift to guard the gates. He liked Mila the best; for the Goddess of Discord, she made for easy conversation and always knew the best gossip. Logically, he knew that Mila was technically responsible for half the rivalries that plagued Olympus and worked with Yurio so much that more wars could be attributed to her work than the actual God of War, but she was always smiling and willing to chat. 

The best part of spending time at the Entrance to the Underworld was when Viktor could catch Vicchan’s attention. It was clear that the dog had an important role, guarding the Gates of Hades, and was very good at said job. However, Vicchan would immediately turn into an excited puppy at the mere sight of Viktor, rendering him completely useless as a guard dog. Yuuri eventually had to forbid Viktor from distracting Vicchan while on duty, because it was hard to intimidate anyone while he was presenting his belly and panting happily, begging for pets. And when Vicchan was off duty, there was another cerberus that took his place: a big, beautiful, shaggy haired, brown cerberus who had instantly glued herself to Viktor's side. When Vicchan was on duty, he found the other cerberus had taken to trotting behind Viktor, barking at strangers and nipping at his heels. Viktor loved her, begging Yuuri to keep her as a household pet.

Yuuri had, of course, agreed, though looked incredibly exasperated in the process.

"She's already ours, Viktor," he had said, amused. "You also don't have to ask."

Viktor had pouted, wrapping his arms around the enormous cerberus. "Have you named her, then?"

Yuuri had looked a little sheepish at that. "Well," he had huffed, "she was trained to be Vicchan's replacement while we were gone, so no, I haven't gotten to name her yet. Why don't you pick out a name for her?"

Viktor had agonized over the choice for a while, before he had settled on Makkachin, for her coffee-colored fur. Makkachin seemed agreeable to the name, practically tackling him over when he had decided.

Along with spending time with his new dog, Viktor also found himself spending time with the Furies, who were all basically sisters to Yuuri. He had heard a lot of them from Yuuri’s stories over the past year, but it was different actually meeting three of Yuuri’s closest friends and confidants. Fortunately, they seemed taken with Viktor immediately, despite the fact that he had technically kidnapped their "little brother." Even more fortunately, they had no qualms with sharing embarrassing stories of Yuuri from the course of a millennium or so of knowing the God of the Dead. 

“Oh he’s had a crush on you for years!” Yuuko informed him. “But he was always too shy to talk to you until recently.”

“That’s adorable!” Viktor beamed, preening at the thought of Yuuri having a crush on _him_ , when Viktor had been pining after him for _months_ before his arrival in the garden. 

“Yuuko!” Yuuri cried, looking embarrassed. 

“He would spend hours waxing poetry about your hair,” Minako recalled, smirking. She then straightened, lowering her voice a bit in an accurate imitation of Yuuri’s voice, “ _Oh, Minako, I don’t understand how he isn’t the God of Beauty! His hair is gorgeous and long, I would brush it and braid it if he’d only let me_ -“

“Minako!” Yuuri yelled, horrified.

“Aww, Yuuri,” Viktor cooed. “You can play with my hair whenever you’d like!”

Yuuri looked away, cheeks red.

“Well,” Viktor said, on second thought. “When spring comes around, you can.”

Viktor’s appearance had changed since he had entered the Underworld. In the week after eating the six pomegranate seeds, his long, flowing locks had shortened significantly, leaving only enough hair to cover part of his face. It wasn’t a terrible hairstyle, Viktor had decided, though he would miss his longer hair during the colder months. His eyes were a darker blue too, Yuuri had been the first to point out. Viktor had been surprised, and after careful inspection, agreed. He probably wouldn’t have even noticed if Yuuri had not said anything.

“I spend a lot of time looking at your eyes,” Yuuri had admitted, a little bashful.

Yuuri also changed while they were in the Underworld, though less dramatically than Viktor. His hair was slicked back, and he suddenly had no use for his glasses. Viktor could see his shift in body language, too. When Yuuri had first arrived in the garden, he had been apprehensive, almost always tense. Eventually, he had been relaxed, more confident, as he began to view the garden as his home, rather than a stranger’s domain. But in the Underworld, Yuuri was always at ease. Not relaxed, necessarily, but he held himself with an air of self-assuredness that Viktor had never seen in him before. With pulled back shoulders, a lifted chin, and cold, calculating eyes, he looked every bit the regal, fearsome King of the Underworld that he truly was. It sent shivers down Viktor’s spine, and not out of fear.

Viktor’s favorite part of his new life in the Underworld was the mornings, getting to wake up next to Yuuri everyday. Yuuri, ever the gentleman, had tried to offer Viktor his own room before Viktor burst in and immediately set up his things in Yuuri’s chambers. Yuuri didn’t protest, instead smiling as Viktor settled into Yuuri’s king sized bed. So, Viktor found himself sleeping in Yuuri’s chambers, which had quickly been rebranded to Yuuri and Viktor’s bedroom. 

Yuuri had not slept in centuries before Viktor entered his life, but it would appear he had taken to it quite well. He slept almost every day, now, unless he had a particularly large pile of duties. Those nights were also special, in their own way, with Viktor wrapped around Yuuri in a hug while sitting on his lap, while the other god sat at his desk and quietly finished going through his files. 

And in the mornings, when it was time to attend court, Viktor was the first to wake, his body too used to rising with the sun, even with its absence. He would roll over and kiss Yuuri’s forehead, then his nose, then his cheeks, and if Yuuri still wasn’t responding, his lips. This would always wake the slumbering god, until they broke apart and Yuuri complained about it being _far too early, Viktor, just five more minutes?_

But alas, the Court of Hades was waiting for their king. 

“And queen,” Yuuri would add, slyly, sitting up and stretching.

“Not queen yet,” Viktor would correct, and then the two would grin at each other and stifle their giggles before proceeding to get dressed for the day. 

Holding court was about as boring as Viktor imagined it would be. Yuuri would sit in his throne and listen to the petitions of souls from all over the Underworld. It was mostly souls trying to appeal their cases, and get upgraded from Punishment to Asphodel, or from Asphodel to Elysium. It was rare that Yuuri granted such an appeal, because he made most of the initial Judgements, and generally trusted his Furies on those he did not personally attend to. Nonetheless, Yuuri listened to each appeal with patience and attentiveness, no matter how ridiculous the request, in Viktor’s opinion.

Despite how boring it was, Viktor didn’t mind it as much as he thought he would, since he would end each session inevitably perched on Yuuri’s lap in some form or another. Yuuri never minded, either, allowing Viktor free reign to do as he pleased during court, so long as he didn’t interrupt. Nevermind that Viktor’s own throne, crafted from beautiful ebony wood and encrusted with the finest amethysts that Yuuri had pulled from the Earth with his own hands, sat right beside Yuuri’s, close enough that they could hold hands without even reaching. It didn’t matter, for Viktor found himself draped across Yuuri’s lap every time, being fed grapes (which Viktor had prepared himself, of course) by his doting lover, or curling up with a book, or sometimes just watching court while striking increasingly dramatic poses. Yuuri himself didn’t seem affected, and the Furies and Phichit never seemed too surprised either.

"The only thing I'm surprised about is the fact that Yuuri's so composed," Phichit had once mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, from his place on the right of Yuuri's throne. Viktor stifled his snickers while Yuuri pointedly ignored them.

Yuuri's other subjects, however, were often taken aback by Viktor’s presence. It would appear word of their engagement had yet to fully spread. 

“My lord, I-“ the man before them stopped, looking at Viktor in shock. Viktor, who was perched on one of Yuuri’s thighs and had his legs draped over Yuuri’s lap, would simply smile back. 

“Yes?” Yuuri asked, sounding almost bored. “You have come here to petition me, correct?"

Viktor loved it when Yuuri used his court voice. Yuuri was normally so soft spoken and unsure of himself while speaking to Viktor or his close friends, but in court, he spoke with the confidence of a king with thousands of years of experience. 

“Err...” the spirit looked at Viktor again, then back at Yuuri. “I mean, yes, my lord.”

And so the pattern continued, with every new spirit brought into the throne room. Viktor would lean against his fiancé, and watch him offer mercy to the deserving, and dish out punishments to the wicked. And he absolutely loved it. 

The only downside to his new wonderful life with Yuuri was the garden. 

Or rather, the lack thereof.

Yuuri had, of course, told him about the pitiful garden in the courtyard, located in the heart of the palace. Still, he couldn’t quite capture the dismal state it was in with words, so Viktor had to stumble upon the woeful garden himself. 

“Yuuri,” Viktor whined. “I didn’t know it was _that_ bad!”

Yuuri sighed. “I told you, no one touches it aside from Minami,” he said. “It’s terrible, I know, but it’s not like anyone really has time to do anything about it.” Then, he paused, and his face lit up. “How about this, you can have complete control over the garden. You can do whatever you’d like with it; I’m sure Minami won’t mind so long as we keep a section for his herbs.”

Viktor immediately brightened. “Really?” he asked, touched that his fiancé would gift him the entire courtyard, and give him complete artistic freedom to do as he pleased.

“Sure,” Yuuri said, smiling at his expression. “I’m sure you’ll make it look beautiful.”

Which led to Viktor’s current problem. 

Pretty much _nothing_ grew in the Underworld. There was no sunlight, so the flowers that did grow were either specifically adapted to the Underworld’s conditions, or grown solely with magic. He thought it’d be a waste of time and effort to try growing sunflowers down here, so immediately scratched most of his plans. Worst of all, Viktor’s magic wasn’t exactly conducive to the Underworld’s plant life. He figured this would change overtime, especially once they got married, but for now, he struggled to keep even the asphodel alive. 

“I think I need your help,” Viktor finally said, one night while they were lying in bed. Yuuri cocks an eyebrow and listens to Viktor’s predicament, nodding thoughtfully at his proposal.

“That sounds interesting,” Yuuri said, finally. “I’d love to work on it with you.”

Viktor was definitely the luckiest god ever to have Yuuri as his fiancé and future king.

The next day, after Yuuri finished holding court and managed to put off his other responsibilities to the Furies, the two cleared out the garden and began their plan for a new one.

“I think we could do with another pomegranate tree,” Viktor said, slyly. 

Yuuri laughed. “Anything for you, my love.”

Together, they grew a sapling until it was taller than the both of them combined, with long, sprawling branches and full of huge, juicy red pomegranates. Their magic combined made the work easy, flowing between them naturally as anything. 

They left a spot for a bench beneath the tree, but otherwise surrounded it with death bells. 

“Hmmm,” Yuuri murmured.

“What is it, darling?” Viktor asked, looking up. 

“I wonder...” Yuuri looked thoughtful for a moment. “Can I borrow your magic?”

Viktor’s eyes widened in surprise. Up until now, it had been Viktor taking the lead, using Yuuri’s magic to ensure the plants would survive. 

“Of course,” he said, easily. He offered his hand, which Yuuri took with a smile.

Yuuri held their hands above a shriveled up bush, planted probably eons ago and left forgotten to die. Viktor let out gasp, feeling Yuuri’s magic reach out for him. He allowed it, his breath catching in surprise when the bush began to grow and turn green. Tiny, red buds appeared, but, instead of blossoming into flowers, what sprouted out was far from petals.

“Are those…” Viktor trailed off, hesitantly reaching down to inspect the plant closer.

“Rubies,” Yuuri said, sounding breathless. He seemed just as surprised, though pleasantly so.

“That’s… that’s amazing,” Viktor gasped. “Let’s do more!”

Yuuri smiled almost shyly. “Okay,” he agreed readily. “What next?”

They spent the rest of the day working on the garden. A pathway led from the entrance, winding throughout the garden and lain with multi-colored precious stones. Above the path at the entrance was a black iron arch decorated with golden vines and leaves. Luminescent toadstools lined the path, glowing brightly and lighting the way. The center of the garden was the pomegranate tree, with black bark, dark red leaves, and golden pomegranates. Underneath it was a bench made of ebony wood, with the design of the back twisting into images of a cerberus dog on one half and a flower on the other. The garden was full of ruby bushes, sunflowers that bloomed topazes, flower beds made of sapphires and emeralds, and a fountain made of black marble, encrusted with amethysts, and its bottom laid with opal. Gemstones of every variety, beyond what Viktor would identify, filled the courtyard with colors he could have only ever imagined outside of the Underworld.

“Do you like it?” Yuuri asked, nervously. He was wringing his hands and avoiding Viktor’s eyes, choosing instead to look out at their work. “I know it’s not quite the same as your gardens, it couldn’t compare, but I thought a little color might- mmph!” 

Yuuri’s words were cut off by Viktor pulling him into a kiss.

“I love it,” Viktor declared, beaming. “You’re amazing, Yuuri.”

Yuuri looked flustered, which was always a delightful sight. “I’m glad we did this together,” he said.

Viktor squeezed his hand. “Me too,” he agreed. “Though, it does kind of ruin the surprise."

Yuuri blinked. "Surprise?" he asked, a little suspicious.

"Welcome," Viktor said, wrapping an arm around Yuuri's waist and gesturing to the garden, "to the Garden of Hades!"

Yuuri looked around, smiling. "I gave _you_ the garden, Viktor," he said, with a laugh. "Shouldn't it be the Garden of Persephone, 2.0?"

"You said I could do what I want with it," Viktor countered, cocking his head to the side. "And I want to gift it to you!"

"It's not just mine, then," Yuuri decided, taking Viktor's hand in his own and giving it a squeeze. "It's ours."


End file.
